Happy summer from His Middle Name! I hope all of you are enjoying the newness of such a fresh and fun season while setting your piggies free in your beach sandals! My family and I really needed a vacation and some mental rest after such a busy spring, but I am so excited to be back blogging about the things that matter most to me. I feel rested and ready to write and share with new found vigor and a clear head. And what better way to kick off the summer than with a celebration? This Thursday, June 14, 2012 marks World Blood Donor Day, and its significance to me, my family and the His Middle Name mission is a personal one. After giving birth to Sutton via emergency c-section, one of my first memories was waking to a transfusion line in my arm. In the hours after my surgery I would receive two blood transfusions, and there is no doubt that receiving this life-saving therapy is one of the reasons I am here today. To stop and think about it is quite wondrous: receiving such a special gift from an absolute stranger. Someone I will never meet or get the opportunity to thank. Someone who actually took time from a day in their life to extend the days in mine. Wow - a gift indeed! Sutton also received four blood transfusions over the two and half months that he was in the NICU, lovingly and selflessly given by his father. But as miraculous as it seems in so many ways, we are not special. In 2010, the year I gave birth to Sutton, five and half million people across America required a blood transfusion. In 2011, the number climbed to nearly six million people. The need for safe blood cannot be over stressed. Every day persons involved in critical medical emergencies, physical traumas and accidents require blood transfusions. Women with complications during pregnancy, severely anemic women and children, cancer patients, persons suffering from sickle-cell anemia and hemophilia also require blood transfusions at a moment’s notice. With no substitute for human blood, those in need rely on the community service of blood donation. World Blood Donor Day is dedicated to thanking and celebrating all who donate blood, plasma and platelets, while encouraging new donors to give. There are so many ways to give of yourself – donate, host a blood drive or volunteer your services at your local Red Cross. I encourage this day to be a celebration of life and community service for you, your family and your circle of friends. To help maintain a stable blood supply and to give the gift of life, please visit www.redcrossblood.org/or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To learn more about this special day, please click the link below.

I’m a southern gal to the core who lives for my family, has a serious weakness for chocolate, a penchant for anything that can be monogrammed and loves to craft and sew. Thank you for your interest and welcome to His Middle Name!